A comparative and critical evaluation of odour assessment methods on a landfill site
- 17 July 2008
- journal article
- Published by Elsevier BV in Atmospheric Environment
- Vol. 42 (30), 7050-7058
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2008.06.009
Abstract
This paper discusses the application of three different odour characterization techniques, i.e. chemical analyses, dynamic olfactometry and electronic noses, for the assessment of odour emissions from a landfill site. The results of the chemical analyses, which are useful to determine the chemical composition of odours, show no correlation with the odour concentration values measured by dynamic olfactometry. Olfactometric analyses enabled to measure odour concentration and thereby to quantify the sensory impact of odours. Finally, the continuous ambient air monitoring by electronic noses allowed to quantify the time percentage in which odours are detected at the landfill boundaries and at a receptor, which always turned out to be lower than 15%. This study represents a critical review of employing three different odour characterization methods for differing reasons on the same site, showing that, whilst the results don't necessarily correlate, they do have an intrinsic value, and therefore demonstrating the complexity of environmental odour measurement.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Odour quantification by a sensor array: An application to landfill gas odours from two different municipal waste treatment worksSensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2006
- The novel EOS835 electronic nose and data analysis for evaluating coffee ripeningSensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2005
- Measurement of odour with focus on sampling techniquesWaste Management, 2005
- Aerodynamic performance of a low-speed wind tunnelWater Science & Technology, 2004
- The electronic nose applied to dairy products: a reviewSensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2003
- Characterisation of odorants emissions from landfills by SPME and GC/MSChemosphere, 2003
- Odour measurements for sewage treatment worksWater Research, 2000
- Environmental Impacts of Solid Waste LandfillingJournal of Environmental Management, 1997
- Computational parallels between the biological olfactory pathway and its analogue `The Electronic Nose': Part II. Sensor-based machine olfactionBiosystems, 1997
- Analysis of discrimination mechanisms in the mammalian olfactory system using a model noseNature, 1982